WHEN: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
WHERE: EagleBank Arena, Fairfax, Va.
RECORDS: Mason (17-8, 7-5), Richmond (15-9, 9-3)
SERIES RECORD: Mason trails, 22-35
LAST MEETING: Mason def. Richmond, 82-77, on Jan. 22, 2017 in Richmond, Va.
TELEVISION: MASN
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FAIRFAX, Va. - The George Mason University men's basketball team (17-8, 7-5) will spend Valentine's Day warding off Spiders when Richmond (15-9, 9-3) invades EagleBank Arena Tuesday.

Tip-off between the Patriots and Spiders is set for 7 p.m.Tuesday's game will be televised locally on MASN and streamed nationally on Facebook Live. Jason Knapp will handle play-by-play duties, while Craig Esherick will provide color commentary. In addition, Bill Rohland will call the game on the A-10 Digital Network, with pre-game coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.

* Mason already has set a new program record for A-10 wins (7) with six league contests remaining. The Patriots also have eclipsed their win total from the entire 2015-16 season (11) by a significant margin.

* The Patriots are 16-5 in their last 21 contests.

* Last time out, the Patriots won their third-straight game with a 73-67 victory over Fordham Saturday night.

* Otis Livingston II led Mason with 19 points (8-8 FT) while Marquise Moore tallied his 15th double-double (15 pts, 11 reb).

* Redshirt-senior Jalen Jenkins also tallied a double-double vs. Fordham with 12 points and a career-best 13 rebounds.

u Jenkins is averaging 17.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over the past three games. He leads the A-10 in field goal percentage (.615) and is second in offensive reb/game (2.9).

* Jenkins is up to 990 career points. With 10 vs. Richmond, he would become the 35th 1,000-point scorer in Mason history.

* Mason leads the A-10 in 3-point percentage in league games (.404, 76-188). The Pats shot 28.5 percent in league play in 2015-16.

* Jaire Grayer is a big contributor to those improved shooting numbers. In conf. games, he is third in the A-10 in 3-point percentage (.485, 28-60) and fourth in 3pt FG made/game (2.3). He also is 10th in rebounding (6.6 rpg). He has scored 10+ points in 10 of 12 A-10 games this season.

* The Patriots gave up just six offensive boards to Fordham and are allowing only 6.0 off. reb./game over the past three contests. Mason is 33rd nationally in opponent offensive rebound percentage (25.5).

HISTORY vs. RICHMOND
Tuesday's game marks the 58th all-time meeting between George Mason and Richmond in men's basketball. The Patriots are 13-10 vs. the Spiders in Fairfax and 7-18 in games played in Richmond (2-7 on neutral courts). Mason has won four-straight games in the series and nine of the past 11 meetings with the Spiders dating back to the old CAA years. Mason won the first meeting this season, 82-77, in Richmond on Jan. 22. Marquise Moore posted a game-high 24 points and added nine rebounds, while Jalen Jenkins chipped in 16 points (7-11 FG) and eight rebounds.

HISTORY vs. DIV. I VIRGINIA OPPONENTS
Tuesday's game at Richmond marks the 379th all-time game for Mason against an in-state, Div. I foe. The Patriots are 176-202 (.466). Harkening back to its CAA history, Mason's most common in-state opponents are James Madison (46-50), William & Mary (39-27), Richmond (22-35), Old Dominion (21-36) and VCU (19-36). Mason is 3-1 against in-state foes this season, with victories over James Madison, Longwood and Richmond, and a loss to VCU.  

A LOOK AT THE SPIDERS (15-9, 9-3 A-10)
Richmond was picked sixth out of 14 teams in the 2016-17 Atlantic 10 preseason poll, but is currently third with a 9-3 league mark. The Spiders lead the A-10 and rank 11th nationally in 3-point field goal defense (.301) and also rank in the top-50 nationally in assists per game (16.6, 22nd) and assist/turnover ratio (1.33, 33rd). Senior T.J. Cline leads Richmond in scoring (19.2 ppg), rebounding (8.4 rpg) and assists per game (5.5). He is one of three Spiders who average 10 or more points. The group also includes ShawnDre' Jones (17.2 ppg) and Khwan Fore (11.1 ppg).

MOORE AND CLINE HEADLINE STAR-STUDDED MATCHUP TUESDAY
Mason guard Marquise Moore and Richmond forward T.J. Cline are widely regarded by writers around the league as two top contenders for the A-10's Player of the Year Award. Moore is averaging 17.6 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.0 steals and shooting 50.6%, while Cline is at 19.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists and is shooting 51.5 percent. Moore posted a game-high 24 points and had nine rebounds and three blocks in the first meeting with Richmond, while Cline notched 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

DISHIN' LEADS TO SWISHIN'
Head coach Dave Paulsen has been quick to praise his team recently for its ability to move the ball and find the open man. The numbers back up Coach P's rhetoric. Mason has dished out at least 15 assists in four of its last five contests (14.3 apg over the stretch). In comparison. the Patriots reached 15 assists just twice over the season's first 20 games (11.7 apg). Mason is 10-3 when it makes 13+ assists in a game this season.

UP NEXT
Mason wraps up a three-game homestand with a Saturday contest vs. league power Rhode Island. Tip-off between the Patriots and Rams is scheduled for 4 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on NBC Sports Network.